Dreaming of Demons
by ShatteredHeart98
Summary: The carnival is over, but Mai is having trouble coping with nightmares. Her worried friends devise a plan to go camping to help her, but a group of fighting, teenaged girls struggling against nature for three nights can't possibly help her... can it?
1. Night Terrors

**Dreaming of Demons**

**Chapter One - Night Terrors**

As usual, everything in my dream was familiar, from the choking waves of fire racing over boiling pits, spitting acrid smoke around that consumed everything in sight. I couldn't breathe or open my eyes, only scream as my senses began to disappear one by one. That truly was an awful feeling, like drowning in the sea. Your hands reach up towards the surface, but it is always out of reach. You begin to sink further with no control at all, then, right on que, everything goes black. By this point I knew I was dreaming, but waking was impossible. I knew what was coming. I could already hear the moaning voices as the shapes followed, dragging themselves out of the shadows. The faceless creatures that plagued my mind were after me again, they hollowed eyes bleeding black blood as they spat out putrid yellow globs of slime that burnt into a thin floor of glass that swayed horrible as though I were on a rollercoaster, staring at the floor as I roared past. I had no other choice, so I ran without looking back. I ran as I cried out with my hands reaching for that surface that was far too high above…

"Mai!"

Every muscle in my body jerked as I awoke with a start. My eyes shot open and stared around, expecting those horrible beasts to be upon me… but instead I found myself looking into the light brown eyes of my roommate, Mikoto.

"You were dreaming again, Mai," she explained as she sat down beside me on my ruined covers. "You woke me when you started crying out."

I didn't even remember becoming vocal in my dream at this point, but I took her word for it as the terror remained fresh in my mind. I apologised to her and laid my head back on the pillow, allowing it to sink into the soft material, but I would not be sleeping again that morning or the night to come.

Mikoto frowned and bent over me to stare directly into my face. "Mai, when will your dreams stop?" she asked. "You're making me worry…"

I sighed and tried to convince her that I was okay with a smile, but it would not come easily. I felt like crying and thrashing around in a tantrum. Would I ever be able to sleep without having these nightmares?

The day before I had fallen asleep during my English class, only to be woken by a very frustrated Midori in front of the entire class. She sent me outside to have a few words with me, and I found that she was surprisingly worried for my health despite her fit of rage moments before.

"Mai, if you're having problems, maybe you should speak to a counsellor," she suggested. "I know you don't like pouring your heart out to people often, but I think it could really benefit you. I mean, you can't keep going like this."

I swallowed and leaned against the wall tiredly. "But I'm not having problems, that's the thing."

"Really?" Midori looked unsatisfied. "You have barely spoke to us other Himes' at all, not even Mikoto or your brother. It's like you've, I don't know… hidden yourself away."

Those words had stuck in my mind since that talk. She was right, I had taken myself away from people, but it was because I needed to work out what I was going to do now. The carnival was over, everyone was with us again, and we were all a happy little group… but what was I supposed to do now? I didn't call my brother anymore over the phone, I barely shared any words with anyone at all, and I no longer even spoke to myself on a regular basis. I was too busy wrestling with my thoughts, tyring to figure out which road I would take.

I had a theory of why this was to intense, and that was simply because control had been returned to me. Since being thrown around in the carnival without a choice in my fate, I had finally been blessed with the wheel again so I could steer myself, but to where? That decision seemed very important now, because I did not want it to go away like before.

"Mai?"

Mikoto sat back to give me room to sit up. "I'm fine," I said quietly. "I just need to eat something."

I knew that I had not convinced her, but we would argue about that later, no doubt. I pulled myself out of my tangle of sheets and began to dress myself, not discomforted at all about Mikoto's watchful eyes as I was much too tired to really care at that moment.

During breakfast I almost fell asleep on my plate. Mikoto had to shake me back to reality numerous times before a sudden knock at the door returned all of my senses immediately"Natsuki, what brings you to our room?" I asked as I opened it to my friend.

As usual, she was not that kind, but that was just her nature. She entered without a word, nodded a greeting to Mikoto, and then turned with annoyance on her face. "I heard that you turned down the idea of help," she said, sounding just like Midori had: Concerned and irritated.

"Look, this is my problem to deal with," I said, getting a little angry. "I'll get though this, I just need to…"

As I trailed off, she rolled her eyes. "See? You have no idea. Damn it, Mai, I'm worried! We all are!"

"I know, I know," I said, running a hand through my hair.

"Tate has lost the plot," Natsuki continued, giving me a critical hit. "He keeps asking about what to say to you because he is afraid you will push him away." She paused with a smile on her face before adding, "He's such a girl."

I lowered my eyes to the floor. "I wouldn't do that to him."

"But you have," she went on, sitting down beside Mikoto on the floor and staring up at me. "You haven't let anyone you care for anywhere near you. Honestly, I'm surprised you opened the door to me."

"Don't be absurd! Of course I did," I defended myself. I was about to continue to make my case sound much stronger than it really was, but a wave of dizziness that had been building over the exhausting weeks crashed over me and I found my feet unable to hold me up anymore.

"Shit!" Natsuki growled as she ran forward with Mikoto on her heels. She caught me and leaned me against the wall, saying to me, "That's it, were getting you some help."

This time I did not fight back.

"Hmm… Most recurring dreams are the result of something that is missing in the person's life."

"Huh?"

"Well, is there anything that you feel you don't have anymore?"

I shook my head. "The only thing that has changed is now I have control." I went on to tell the doctor my theory, and he nodded thoughtfully with a triumphant smile on his face the entire time.

Natsuki and Mikoto stood together behind me, insisting they follow me in to make sure I had no more fainting spells, despite the reassuring first aid certificates the doctor held.

As I finished, he nodded his head and clapped his hands together. "That's it. I think you have hit the nail right on the head there, Mai. I think that your life is desperate to know where it should head next, and you're frightened that something like your personal traumatic experience will occur again."

I had not told him about the carnival, of course. Instead I told him it was too personal to say, instantly calming down a tense Natsuki whom obviously thought I was tired enough to make such a mistake.

"But no one else who was involved has had something like this happen to them," I said angrily, resiting the urge to punch the desk in front of me. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Everyone's mind has a different way of working, and your's seems as though its barriers have broken down. The experience you fought through has weakened your mind for the moment, that is why it is so hard." He sat back to make himself comfortable as he went on to answer my question in a little more detail. "You were mainly affected during these events, right? You were in the centre most of the time, so that is why it has had such an effect on your defence mechanisms inside."

"Okay, so what do I do?" I asked as it all began to make more sense.

Unfortunately there was no real answer to this apart from, "Let your friends in and work out together where you think you should go from here, but take it one step at a time."

I did not find it overly helpful, so I left with only a mumbled 'thanks'.

********

That afternoon a plan was made with Midori, Mikoto, and Natsuki together. They left to discuss what actions to take over lunch as I moped alone in my room, sorting through my old photos to perhaps make myself feel a little better.

There were many pictures of me with Takumi. He looked so happy despite his worry for both me and himself, and then I entered the newest photos of me with Tate. It seemed we went everywhere together, and we were both always smiling. My eyes teared up as I stared down as him, my dear Tate. How could I push him away like I had been? What had he done to me to deserve that? And Takumi… what would he be thinking? That I had abandoned him? That I was fed up with listening to his fears about his heart?

With a heavy hearted sigh I laid back on my bed and let the tears flow from my eyes. What on earth were those girl's planning?

I found out soon enough.

It was about ten minutes after my breakdown in my room when I heard Mikoto let herself into our room. She sounded excited as she cried out my name, and I could hear Midori and Natsuki behind her, their heavy footsteps coming towards my room.

"Damn!" I gasped as I hastily wiped my eyes dry of their fresh tears. I rose from my bed and headed towards the door with a heavy heart. I only hoped my eyes were not red as I turned the doorknob.

"Mai! Mai! Maiiiiiii!" Mikoto cried out as she dove into my arms.

"Whoa!" I gasped, letting out a little giggle. "Why so excited, Mikoto?"

"She loves our plan, not surprisingly," Natsuki said with a shrug. "Wild girl gets to go crazy in the wilderness."

Mikoto shot her an evil look.

"What do you mean?" I asked, heading towards the pair suspiciously. "Guys… What did you plan?"

Midori laughed. "Don't get so tense, Mai! It's nothing really, just a little excursion to help you become reacquainted with your good friends."

"A little excursion?" I echoed with a lowered eyebrow. "No offence, Midori, but your excursions are never small. Remember the 'harmless' trip to the Blackfield ruins? None of you grade one student's slept for a week after those so called 'fake' ghost murmurs."

Midori rolled her eyes. "Well how was I supposed to know that the place was actually haunted? I mean, who would believe the story of a three axe murders and a suicide in the same day?"

"Alright, enough about Midori's terrible excursions," Natsuki said with a sideways glance at the enraged teacher. "You don't get a say in this trip, Mai. Were going for a three night's camp in the eastern forest as a group, and it will take all of our teamwork to navigate our way around to the best sites."

"Wow, all of a sudden it's Scout Leader Natsuki reporting!" Midori teased in her act of revenge. She was rewarded with the famous 'finger' from the black haired girl.

"Camp, camp!" Mikoto cried as she gripped my arm and jumped up and down like a five year old about to get an icecream.

I exhaled deeply. "Well, I guess if I have no choice…"

******

"Umm… are there bears in this forest?" Yukino asked as we invited her personally during our next class.

"Wolves, eagles, tigers, lions, alligators… but no, no bears," Natsuki said as she tapped her fingers boredly against the table, her eyes only drifting over the maths sums on the board.

Yukino thought for a moment. "Natsuki, some of those animals are native to-"

"So how about it?" Natsuki interrupted, hating being corrected. "If you want to come, you have to get packing tonight, okay?"

Yukino automatically looked over at her love interest and best friend, Haruka, as she rushed through the maths as though it were nothing at all. She finished the set sums with a proud smile on her face and raised her arm high so everyone could see that she had completed before them yet again… as though they really cared.

"You can invite her if you want," I offered as her eyes filled with the pain of losing her, but she declined anyway.

"She hates the outdoors," she explained, giving her friend a weak smile. "I'll still ask, but I don't think the answer will be yes. She just hates bugs. Has nightmares about them and everything."

I stared across at Haruka and could not help but laugh as I pictured her nightmare of a giant mosquito chasing her down through a forest of buzzing insects.

As the day wore on, the list of names began to deplete rapidly. So far there had no one but themselves and Yukino, and next was a name that Midori had secretly added.

"Shizuru? Natsuki cried in outrage. "Why her?"

"Why not?" Midori asked, holding a hand to her heart. "I thought you two were in _love_."

Natsuki went bright red. "W-what? She likes me, but… well, you know… It's complicated!"

"Whatever," Midori drawled. "Well, I'm going to ask her. Come or don't, you won't stop me."

Natsuki followed, arguing all the way as me and Mikoto snickered quietly behind her back.

"She's gone red," Mikoto laughed quietly as Natsuki began to plead with Midori.

"Please, I'll do all my homework, I'll listen in class, I'll stop ditching your lessons especially!"

"Too late," Midori said with a smile as she reached Shizuru's room.

After two knocks, the door was opened by the kind woman. She beamed at the group and especially at Natsuki who refused to meet her gaze. "Hello everyone."

"Hi Shizuru. Look, we don't have a lot of time, so I'll ask you straight away… Would you like to come on a camping trip with us? Were leaving first thing after dinner tonight."

"Wow, that's quiet a rush, isn't it," Shizuru said thoughtfully as she pressed a thumb to her chin.

"You don't have to if you're not up to it," Natsuki inserted quickly. "I mean, were not forcing you."

Shizuru gave a little laugh. "I would love too, but I am afraid that the school needs me, so I could not possible abandon it."

"Not even for three nights?" Midori pestered, ignoring Natsuki as she poked her in the ribs painfully.

"No, I'm sorry, but have fun… Natsuki."

The girl went red, but she simply nodded back as Shizuru waved them away, saying she had much work to do. The group noticed that even though Natsuki had denied wanting her to come, she looked disappointed.

"Wow, what a blow out," Midori complained as she stared down at the list. More than half of the names were gone, and only three remained. Nao, Tate, and Shiho.

I could not stop staring at Tate's name. He would certainly brighten it up for me, so I was almost praying that he would say yes.

We had taken a short break after all of the rejections for simple reasons such as 'too much work,' 'I don't want to leave them behind, and 'camping just isn't my thing.' Sitting down at the café to enjoy some sundaes was a good way to heal the feeling of being 'dropped' by these people.

"Nao is next to be asked," Midori said as she stabbed her finger down on the name. "Then it's Shiho and Tate seeing as they are usually together."

That choice of words hurt, but I bit my tongue.

Natsuki sniggered from across the table. "You're seriously going to ask Nao? Hah, good luck Midori."

"Oh, I'm not asking her. I'm ordering her, and I'll drag her along if I have to."

I burst out laughing as the picture appeared in my head, worming through all of the fears and doubts of the future.

Midori seemed confident in herself. "I know she isn't my biggest fan, but I think that I can handle her. Besides, she needs to get away from this environment for a while. She is getting more hostile by the day."

"I think she misses her big spider pet," Natsuki pointed out as she remembered the Childs they once fought beside. "She certainly was attached to that thing."

"Ewww!" Mikoto gasped as she dropped her spoon of sundae on the table. "It was yucky!"

"Tell me about it," Natsuki agreed. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to get those spider webs off of my clothes?"

"Well, judging by the fact you didn't wear them again, I'm assuming you didn't try," Midori said as she studied the amount of names that now had crosses through them.

Natsuki shrugged. "Who has that sort of time?"

"You only spend your time being the Ice Queen, ditching class, glaring at everyone, being antisocial unless you are making someone feel like crap… The list goes on," the red haired teacher remarked with a smirk.

"Say that again!" Natsuki roared as she rose in her seat.

"Enough!" I growled as I pressed my hands to my head. "If the camp is going to be like this, than how is it going to help me?"

There was silence before they agreed I have a point.

"Sorry," Midori apologised, holding her hand out towards the black haired girl across from her.

With a sigh, they shook hands, then sunk back into their seats so far it was as though they were trying to sink into the leather.


	2. The Forest Friends

**Chapter Two - The 'Forest Friends'**

"No."

"Nao, I think you missed the point."

"What point, Midori?"

"I'm not giving you a choice. You need a break. You need to learn some friendship skills."

"I don't have friends."

Nao shut her door in their faces so abruptly that for a moment none of them moved.

"Well that was rude," Natsuki finally said.

I banged on the door with my fist angrily, my temper rising. "Nao, open up. We went through the carnival together, for god's sake! How can you say something like that?"

Mikoto looked close to tears and leaned against the wall. "I thought Nao was our friend…"

Midori sighed. "Don't worry kid, we'll beat some sense into her during this trip."

I sighed as I pressed my head tiredly to the door, no energy remaining in me. "Damn it, Nao, open this door! Just let us discuss it with you."

At first there was nothing at all, then to everyone's surprise the door was opened a crack and Nao's angry eyes glared out at them. "All right… Talk."

Midori stared at her nails in the light as she spoke. "I don't really want to hurt you Nao, so it would be a lot better if you just came along with us. One little trip isn't going to kill you, is it?"

"Hanging around with you lot might," she quipped. "But go on. What do I get out of it?"

A growl escaped from Natsuki as she approached the door forcefully. "Listen Nao, I don't particularly want you along causing trouble, but Shizuru is tried of having to deal with you brawls out in the yard. Ever since the carnival you have acted like a psychopath! You threaten everyone whom so much as looks at you! You flick your food across the table like it's pigs guts or something else disgusting with no respect at all! You refuse to do your work and cause such a protest that you have to be dragged out!"

We all took a step back accept for the fearless Natsuki. We waited with baited breath for Nao's fist to reach through the door and take the black haired girl out, but instead she sniffed, lowered her gaze, and disappeared inside the room, leaving the door ajar.

"N-Nao?" Natsuki gasped as she took a few steps into the room. "Are you… crying?"

The short haired girl sat on her couch with her back to us as her body trembled. She muttered something quietly that we all missed accept for Mikoto whom had excellent hearing.

The spiky haired wild child approached Nao quietly. "What do you mean you don't know what to do, Nao?" she asked, sucking on one of her fingers like a child, making her look like an innocent angel approaching a demon.

Nao looked away angrily, then slammed a hand down on the table in front of her. "Damn it, I'll go with you!" she cried out.

"I knew you were afraid of my amazing powers!" Midori teased as she threw a punch in thin air.

"Whatever," Nao muttered, getting to her feet and facing us with a look that could melt ice. "Just don't expect me to have any fun."

******

We had reached the last two names on the list: Tate and Shiho. We knew their location, we knew their times to return to class, and we knew that they were needed to give the camp that extra lift.

"No way am I putting up with that Shiho brat," Nao spat as she rested casually on the arm chair in the school lounge room. It was off limits to students, but after I had suffered another lack of energy fit once we had Nao in our group, Midori rushed us inside where I could lay down on the remaining lounge. Now the rest of the group was piled up on the second, and it looked so amusing with them all squished together that I failed to tell them that I felt fine again.

Midori sighed and rolled her eyes at the ever-hateful girl. "We need some sort of humour out there, and besides, she won't stay here without Tate. If he comes, she'll follow."

"Like a fly on a web," Nao described with her old Hime style. "However, Tate is not much of a spider… More a kitten."

I glared at her and rolled onto my side away from them, pretending I was dozing. I hated it when people said Tate was weak. Sure, he didn't throw himself around as a man trying to impress the other girls, and he hated to fight unless it was his sport, but that didn't make him weak. He just didn't like showing it, and anyway, proving that the given names 'sissy' and 'pansy' didn't bother him made him strong… right?

"Alright, shall we search for the pair?" Midori asked out loud. I knew she was trying to spare me the comments about Tate, and I noted it down to thank her later for it.

******

We hustled behind the bushes in one of the courtyards and watched through the leaves as Tate and Shiho sat on one of the benches and ate their lunch peacefully.

"Okay, targets are… eating sandwiches," Midori said as she peered out at them.

Natsuki stared at her. "Are we capturing them for some government conspiracy, or are we asking them to come along to a camp?"

"Shhh! They'll hear you!" Midori army-rolled across the grass to the next bush and in an instant threw herself behind a nearby tree that grew only metres away from the pair.

"You have to hand it to her," Nao began as she watched in awe. "The girl's good."

Voices trailed over the bushes we all sat behind, and we recognised them as Tate and Shiho's. They were chatting about their classes, what they planned after school, and, oddly, how their food tasted.

"They have really got to find something else interesting to talk about," Natsuki grumbled. "I think I'm going to fall asleep."

"So I told him where to stick it!" Shiho shouted suddenly after a series of mutters that followed the sandwich speak. "I went 'pow' and he was on the floor in a second!"

"That's pretty amazing," Tate said in mock awe. "Maybe next time you could be the bigger man, uh, woman, and just forget the fact that a boy eight years younger than you brushed against your chair when he walked by."

We could have seen Shiho go red from a mile away. "What? But how would he learn not to walk to close to people? That's ridiculous!"

"Speaking of ridiculous, is that Midori hiding behind that tree eavesdropping on us?"

"Hmm, I think it is. She must find you pretty interesting."

Like a bullet Midori shot out from behind the tree and stalked towards the pair. "What? I was just examining the beauty of nature, thank you very much!"

Tate laughed. "For someone who wasn't eavesdropping, you seem to know what we were thinking!"

"I'm a teacher!" Midori cried. "I know everything!"

I rose from behind the bush and hurried over to the fuming woman's aid. "What Midori is trying to say is that she would like to invite you on a trip with us," I said, patting her on the back to calm her down, although I was shocked enough with the mere thought of her taking in interest in Tate.

As usual, his eyes shied away from mine. I had found his bashfulness around me cute when we started dating at first after the carnival, but now it was just annoying. I would stare at him for hours, waiting for him to finally look back, but by the time he did he would be bright red and would laugh nervously, saying something cheap like, 'You look especially pretty today.'

_How could he know that if he didn't look at me?_

"Ohh, a trip?" Shiho gasped excitedly. "Where to? How long? What should I bring? Are you coming?" Her face fell a little as the others showed themselves. "Is Nao coming?"

The short haired girl crossed her arms. "Trust me, brat, I'm not looking forward to spending time with you either."

"Stop arguing!" Midori ordered. "You're already at each others throats and we haven't even stepped foot into the forest yet!"

"The forest?" Tate suddenly gasped. "You can't be serious! There are wild things in there!"

We all stared around at each other, then burst out laughing. I suppressed a little giggly as he went a pale white.

"Tate's a baby!" Mikoto remarked as she held her stomach from the laughter. "Mai will have to hold his hand the whole three days!"

I cast me eyes away in embarrassment. I wished that would happen. I wished his hand wouldn't suddenly shake as mine inched towards it and fly into his flowing hair as though he had a sudden itch… _I wish he would talk to me about this._

He seemed a little on edge now, and refused the trip with a defiant shake of his head.

"Oh, come one, don't be a wuss," Midori said in disgust.

"No, it's not that. I have a lot of work to do." He looked up at me, but his eyes were unsteady as though mine repelled his. "If it was for one day, or two at the most, I would come, but three is too much. Sorry, Mai."

I shrugged it off, but not internally. "It's fine. Study is important I guess."

Shiho, however, looked outraged. "B-but Tate! That's not fair! I want to go!"

"Then go," he said simply.

She shook her head hastily and pretended to be on the verge of tears. "But I need my big brother Tate to protect me…"

He snorted. "You think I can do a better job of taking care of you than these girls?" he asked, motioning us with a lazy wave of his arm.

Midori nodded. "He's right, we'll keep the nasties away from you."

Nao smiled evilly. "Yeah… we'll take real good care of you."

Shiho gripped Tate's arm. "Uhh, no thanks! I think I'll just stay here and work like Tate said!"

I stared down at her hand as it rested on Tate's arm. He seemed to barely even notice, but I knew if it were me he would casually shrug me off and change the subject quickly as though I would forget.

_What was wrong with him?_

******

"How about… the Wood Rangers?"

"That's crap, Mai." Natsuki sure liked to speak her mind. "We need something scary, threatening, you know, _good_."

"Scary, huh? I can do scary!"

"No, Nao, we don't need another 'Decapitators' or Righteous Rippers'." Midori sank herself deep into my couch with her eyes shut tight. "Those names are giving me a headache."

Thinking of a group name was no easy task, especially when we were only a group of five, and we each repelled the others' ideas. It was beginning to frustrate us all and we were no longer tyring to come up with a good name. Instead we were trying to annoy each other.

I sat up and leaned forward, thinking hard, then I noticed that one voice had been missing from the arguments. "Mikoto, how about you? You haven't suggested anything yet."

The small girl sat against my legs with her head resting on my knees as she pressed her fingers to her temples and thought. She didn't move or speak.

"Maybe she's praying or something," Natsuki suggested.

Nao stared down at the wild girl. "Poke her and see if she moves."

They seemed to be the key words, for Mikoto suddenly jumped to her feet and punched her fists into the air triumphantly. "I've got it, I've got it!"

"What, what, what?" I asked excitedly. Surely this much thinking could only end in something good.

"We'll be… the Forest Friends!"

_Maybe not._

All eyes stared at her as though asking, 'are you serious?'

"I… will… _not_... be know as a FOREST FRIEND!" Nao boomed, making her thoughts on the idea quiet clear.

Natsuki looked on the verge of both tears and laughter. Instead of doing either, she let out an odd sounding cry like a wounded animal.

"Umm… Mikoto?" I said gently, not wanting to upset her. "Don't you think that's a little…"

"Perfect!"

"Umm, that's not what I was going to say Midori."

"No, I mean, it really is perfect!" the woman continued. She leapt from her place on the sofa as gracefully as a boar and slapped Mikoto on the back as a friendly gesture.

"No way, Midori! I don't care if you're the boss or not, you're making a stupid decision!" Nao exploded. "I won't be know as a damn Forest Friend. I would rather die!"

"Nao, you don't have a choice whether you come along or not. Remember, I will force you if I have to."

"But why this name?" Natsuki complained now.

"Because," Midori began with a smile. "What better way to start bringing us together as a team than having a uniting name?"

I rested my head in my hands. "God help us."


	3. Last Minute Acceptance

**Chapter Three - Last Minute Acceptance**

The packing commenced as soon as the sun began to go down. All of the girls in the group gathered into mine and Mikoto's room to plan out what needed to be added to their own luxuries. Dinner was provided as a special commemoration of their coming together in the trip, and Midori was all too exited to be the spearhead of the speeches. She could barely sit still as she waited anxiously for the meal to start so she could get on with her well-planned words, but an argument burst out as Mikoto spied Nao's list of 'essentials.'

"Nao?" she said quietly. She eyed her items suspiciously and jabbed a finger against the paper. "Why do you have 'thirty roles of toilet paper' written down on you're list?"

Nao went bright red. "Umm, thirty? I don't think so! I, um, must have made a mistake!" She tried to hide her face. "Yeah, that's what I did!"

Ntasuki stared at her, a smile beginning to break across her face. "Nao? Is there something you need to tell us?"

"Like maybe the amount of toilet breaks you need?" Midori inserted with a grin.

"No, don't be stupid! I'm a normal person! A NORMAL PERSON!"

"Yeah, whatever," Natsuki persisted, looking quiet triumphant as she sat with her back straight and her head high in the air. "We all believe you, Nao, truly."

The fiery HiME snarled. "Don't use that sarcastic crap on me!"

I could see that things were getting worse fast, so I held up a hand as though to create a barrier between the two. "Come on, let's not start on each other yet. You can pack whatever you want, okay everyone?"

There were murmurs of agreement as everyone eyed their lists carefully, scanning for any embarrassments that might be pointed out by the curious Mikoto. Nao and Natsuki both had their gazes locked on each other, and no matter what I tried to do to distract them, they seemed to be trying to stare each other to death. The festivities were clearly already underway.

I noticed that Yukino seemed a little off colour as she sat quietly to the side of Midori, her eyes staring at the floor sadly. I could almost visualise the storm cloud above her. "Something the matter, Yukino?"

She looked up quickly, startled, then quickly shook her head. "No, no, I just guess I'm a little nervous about tomorrow, that's all." She tried to put on a brave face, but it crumbled almost immediately.

"Don't worry," I said, trying to calm her turmoil. "Just because Haruka won't be there doesn't mean anything bad will happen to you."

"Yeah, I guess so…"

As I tried to help the young girl, Nao and Natsuki were no longer on opposite sides of our circle. Nao had reached forward and snatched away Natsuki's list. As expected they were now scrambling on the floor, ripping at hair, throwing punches in every direction.

We all turned to Midori for her strict 'teacher's discipline hand', but she shrugged. "If we break them up now, they'll just blow later on. Better to let them release some steam now, I guess."

I didn't particularly like the way she handled things sometimes. It was as though she just wasn't bothered, but then she had the pair together in almost every class. All I could really do was envy her for letting them both come along.

"Give that back to me!" Natsuki cried out as she savagely attacked Nao with her nails, leaving red trails along the girl's arms.

"Oww! Hey!" Nao gasped. She managed to position her beet between her and Natsui and flung her across the room so she could get to her feet.

Natsuki threw herself back at Nao, but it was too late. She was already reading out the list for the entire room to hear.

"First we have the unforgettable usuals: Clothing, toiletries, food, blah, blah- Ohhh…"

Everyone's attention turned to Nao as she burst out laughing at the list. Even I could not keep my curiosity out.

"Nao, please…" Natsuki was pleading, _actually pleading, _with the devil. She looked like a lost puppy, terrified in a crowd.

Of course, Nao could care less. "Dear Natsuki, why is it you have 'lingerie collection' written here, underlined, circled, and, might I point out, decorated with little love hearts?"

A few giggles ran through the small circle on the ground. Natsuki went bright red as her eyes teared up, then she snarled and lunged at Nao, screaming at the top of her lungs.

The door was thrown open so suddenly that our eyes turned from one amazing event to the next, ignoring the fight as we stared at the unexpected visitor.

"What is going on in here?"

Yukino's face brightened up. "Haruka!"

The strict leader of the council stood in the doorway, her strong personality already blooming from her as she crossed her arms and frowned at the wrestling pair on the ground. "I thought you would be packing," she said, eyeing the suitcases and bags lying open on the floor.

"We are," I said, then nodded a head at Natsuki and Nao. "They had a little debate about each other's lists."

Haruka rolled her eyes at the trivial reason for the pair to try and take each other's eyes out. "I see…"

Yukino flung herself at her dearest friend and gathered her up in a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Haruka went red and looked more out of place than she ever had. "Yukino, I didn't say I was going to come."

There was a flash of disappointment in Yukino's eyes and she pulled back a bit. "Oh… so you're not staying?"

Haruka sighed as she stared around at the group. She seemed to be summing up how the adventure would go with such a vast difference in personalities and knowledge, but the begging look in Yukino's eyes was almost too much. She exhaled deeply and bowed her head, giving a tiny nod.

"Oh, Haruka!" The council leader was crushed in a hug again, but she only laughed it off this time.

We were all a little shocked at the sudden adding of a member, and we were also a little disappointed. Haruka was possibly the bossiest student in the school, so she would no doubt become the leader and take us straight into a ditch or a bear's den.

Midori decided to set some ground rules for her. "You can come with us as long as you can accept the fact that I will be the leader in this trip, and you must also accept the fact that this is all for Mai's sake, so there will be no leadership teachings or complaining about the wild. Is that all sounding okay?"

Haruka had to think seriously about this. She wandered over to the single couch and threw herself down into the cushions. Pressing a thumb to her chin and narrowing her eyes as she fell deep into thought made her look like a teachers pet. That fact would have killed her in an instant.

Finally, she declared that she agreed. "However," she quickly added, pointing a finger towards Natsuki and Nao. "Is this really helping Mai?"

The pair froze and looked across at me, making me feel as though I were in a corner.

"It's okay, really," I said quickly, shying away from their stares.

Natsuki, however, pulled away from Nao and returned to her earlier position. "Haruka's right," she said, sighing. "Sorry, Mai. I even helped to come up with this idea."

Nao said nothing, but she too did not attack again and positioned herself back on the floor to resume staring down her list. I noticed, though, that her eyes would flicker up to Natsuki's every now and then as though to be sure that she was staying well away.

"Anything else you want to know?" Midori asked Haruka as the light brown haired girl sat back in the chairs and racked her brain for something else to complain about.

It was not long before she shouted out her next point. "What about survival awareness? Do you have any idea what to do when, sorry, _if _something goes wrong out there?" There was a challenging dare in her eyes as she looked across to Midori.

The teacher laughed. "Well, let's see. I am a nurse as well as a teacher, so I know about the area were heading into, I know first aid, I am bringing along anything that may be needed just in case, and I have also done plenty of study in the world around us." She nodded her head to finish her speech and shot the same look that spelled 'bring it on' back at the council leader.

Haruka had plenty more to say. We were all beginning to wonder if she had written a list. She counted the problems we may face off on her fingers: Bugs, other nasties that lurked, getting lost, weather factors…

Yukino answered all before anyone else could even open their mouths. Clearly she was desperate for her love interest to come along. "I have packed seven cans of insect repellent and a huge tent that keeps them out along with other animals, I made a map earlier during my break, the weather is going to be clear for the next few days…" Everything that Haruka complained about, Yukino had a cure for.

"Fine!" the defeated girl mumbled a good twenty minutes later. "But don't expect me to trust that all of that will keep us _completely _safe!"

"That's the thrill of it," Nao drawled as she lay stretched out on the floor. "If you don't have a little taste of adventure every now and then, you become a machine."

"What did you just call me?" Haruka cried.

Midori was not ready to deal with another argument. "Okay, time for the speeches," she announced quickly as she stood up in front of the entire group. Clearing her throat and giving Mai a little wink, she began her talk: "Here we are gathered in Mai's and Mikoto's room, to prepare for our great adventure tomorrow." She stared down at her well placed que cards that she had slipped into her ripped sleeve. She stared through the stitching and red quiet fluently considering the little amount of words she could read.

The speech went on for some time more, explaining how well she had started to get to know them all, what was to be expected in the forest, how long the trip would take, what definitely needed to be packed, and finally, she started to sum it all up.

"We must all remember that this trip is to help our good friend, Mai. She would do the same for us if we were in her position, so it is only right that we help her, and for those of you who do not agree with this, you still have no choice because I said so." She smiled sweetly at this. "I hope that you all enjoy the time we are about to have, and for gods sake, be careful out there because I can't keep an eye on all of you at the same time. Got that?"

We all nodded, knowing how serious she could get if her threats were ignored.

"Well then, let's finish up packing and get some food into us."

The dinner was more of a feast, however I had to cook up some extra food for our unexpected new member. I rushed immediately into the kitchen as Mikoto started to carry the first plates out.

"Damn it, damn it!" I gasped as I rushed pots and pans down and threw ingredients into them without even looking. I always liked to test myself when I was cooking, and sometimes I even liked to time myself and beat it later, but this was more like a workout than a fun little activity I liked to do. Why did Haruka have to join so suddenly?

"Need some help?"

I turned to see Nao standing in the doorway, her hands pressed against the frame almost boredly as she waited for my reply.

"Uh, y-yeah," I stumbled. My surprise must have shown, for she laughed as she stepped into the kitchen.

"Don't worry, I know how to cook pretty well. I was taught by…"

I stared at her, waiting for her to continue, but her eyes were clouded over as she thought of a painful past. I knew the look all to well, and though I was not sure of what was going on behind the scenes, I didn't press for information.

"Well that's great!" I said enthusiastically. "But are you really sure you want to help? I mean, well, I can get a little bossy."

She laughed again. "That's okay, I'm sure I can handle it," she said sarcastically, and I knew that if I tried to boss her around I would be seeing stars for a week.

We formed an odd bond as we worked together. She was fast at gathering the ingredients, and unlike me, she didn't panic. Where I would drop a plate, she would gather it up gracefully and balance it in one hand a she pilled up a new batch of ingredients.

Soon the cooking turned into a bit of a competition as I realised just how talented she really was. Her hand was like a knife itself as she raced the blade up and down the vegetables and cut them up so finely it was on the edge of perfection. In my rush, mine look more like demented cubes.

"You're getting frustrated," she pinpointed after another few minutes.

"No, I'm not, I'm just really desperate to get this out to her."

"Why are you trying so hard?"

"Because," I said as I slapped a slice of chicken down on the bench. "That's what a good chef does."

"You really take it that seriously?" she asked.

I thought about that for a moment. She was right, it was a very major thing for me. I felt like I had to get it right, or… or what? Was it really that bad if I made a mistake?

"Stop for a minute," Nao said, grasping my hands as though she did not trust me to be able to myself. "Take a deep breath, think, and then go again. If you calm down I guarantee that you will get it done a lot faster, and remember… it isn't really that big of a deal."

I was thankful for her advice and followed it well. Once I had completed the steps I found it a lot easier to think and ignore distractions, then I went ahead and completed the meal.

"That was great! Thanks Nao," I said sincerely, staring down at the dish. "We did a really good job! My mum would be proud!"

"Is she the one who made you take cooking so seriously?" she asked.

I nodded, suddenly realising that she was right. It was my mother who was the cause for this kitchen madness.

Again Nao's eyes clouded over. She paused, then with a shaky sigh she said, "Mine too," and left the kitchen.

******

"Mai, this tastes great!" Mikoto gasped as she swallowed a great mouthful of the dish. "Even better than those noodles you cook!"

I was not sure if it was a compliment, but I took it as one anyway.

Nao was distant from the group. More distant that usual. Her eyes still held that hurt and pain that they had in the kitchen, but I knew she would not talk to me about it. I knew the pains of losing a mother, and if that was the case, maybe it was better to at least properly befriend her before trying to help her, otherwise I knew she would push me back.

The rest of the group seemed to be enjoying the food, even the picky eater, Haruka. After the first bite she looked around to make sure no one was looking and shovelled more into her mouth eagerly. I managed to get away with seeing the excitement in her eyes. It was a great feeling of achievement to please even the tough 'council queen'.

After the course of food was eaten and cleaned with a little help from everyone, the festivities finished, and a long night's sleep awaited all of them.

Everything was ready for the plan to go ahead. Midori had received definite permission for the trip after accidentally letting us all know that she had forgotten to ask, the packing had been checked and cleared to make sure no weapons or the like were being taken (all eyes were on Nao), necessities were added to the bag of crucial needs that Haruka would take charge over, and Yukino's map had been perfect to the point where even the main trees were located so we knew where to set up camp.

After the rest of the group of _forest friends _left, only Mikoto and I remained in our room. We chattered about the meal, noting that Haruka had snuck in seconds, and the fact that Midori seemed thoroughly bored once her speeches were completed.

As we both calmed down, I remembered Nao's odd emotional state.

"Hey, Mikoto? You don't think Nao seemed a little… sad, did you?"

Mikoto rolled onto her stomach to concentrate as she tried to remember the fiery HiME. "Hmm, I guess so. I was too busy eating to notice that much, but she didn't attack Natsuki again, and she didn't even get angry when Haruka started complaining about how much room she was taking up in the essentials bag."

"Yeah," I muttered, staring up at the ceiling. "That's what I thought."

I could not pinpoint exactly why this was bothering me so much. Nao and I had never really gotten along well before, but she was another HiME, and therefore it was natural to be concerned. I only hoped that she would snap out of it and actually enjoy the trip, or there would be a storm cloud over our heads, drowning the mood.

"I'm glad Haruka joined us," Mikoto said with a bright gin on her face.

"Why?" I asked, puzzled at the young girl's happiness.

"She makes me laugh, the way she whines about everything. I think she will be good fun on the trip, don't you?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. Just as long as she doesn't get to be too much of a hassle, otherwise someone will end up throwing her into a river."

"Nao," Mikoto named.

"Natsuki, more like," I countered.

We laughed together as we realised that any one of us had a good chance of snapping when this girl got in our ears and gave us headaches. She was lucky to have Yukino coming along with her. She may just save her by the end of the trip.


	4. The Waiting Forest

**Chapter Four - The Waiting Forest**

The next morning was as I had been expecting: A rude awakening.

"Mai, get up, get up, GET UP!!"

"M…Mikoto… Five more minutes?"

"No Mai, the rest of us are ready!"

Midori's voice came through the door. "Yeah, so get that butt out of bed!"

I gasped and thrashed myself free of the sheets. "Why did you let me sleep in like that?" I asked Mikoto as she sat at the end of the bed over my feet.

She simply shrugged. "You looked peaceful."

"Mikoto!"

I threw myself out of the bed, the sheets dangling about my feet as I raced for the bathroom. Outside I could hear the rest of the group arguing about how long I was taking and I felt myself go red.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to them," Mikoto said as she wandered out into the hall.

I showered as quickly as I could, slipping and sliding as I tried to brush my teeth and pack my remaining bathroom essentials at the same time. I cursed over and over again as it became almost suicidal, but it saved plenty of time. I left the bathroom in a hurry with a towel wrapped tightly around me and my last bag in my hand. What I did not expect to see was the rest of the _forest friends _staring at my barely concealed body.

The next thing I knew I could hear a voice calling my name, and I opened my eyes to see Midori staring down at me with an amused laugh waiting on her lips. Natsuki was beside her, her hand ready to slap my face.

"W-what are you doing?" I gasped, slowly sitting up as best I could.

"Bring you around," Natsuki said, lowering her hand. "It's worked before when Midori passed out from having too much alcohol.

"Seems like this trip is coming at a good time, Mai. You just fainted," Yukino explained from behind the red headed nurse whom was now glaring sideways at Natsuki.

Immediately I stared down, expecting to have lost the towel on my collapse, but they had thrown it back over me. I let a sigh of relief escape.

"We'll wait outside while you dress, okay?" Midori said, finally letting out the laugh before adding, "Mikoto will give you a hand if you need it, and if you start to feel light-headed again, call me. I'll make sure to make my presence known this time."

I watched as they all left before letting out a frustrated and embarrassed scream. Mikoto was doubled over laughing that went on for some time before she finally fetched me my clothes. When she came back she was obviously not expecting me to be in tears.

"Mai? What's wrong?"

Everything was flooding my mind again. The last hours had been great, and I had almost forgotten about the pain that hid behind my protective barrier inside, but now it was crashing down again, and I felt true hopelessness. "It won't work," I muttered.

It took a moment for Mikoto to understand, and when she did she griped my arms and pulled me into a pressing hug. "That's not true. It will work, because you have me, Midori, Natsuki, and the others to help you. We won't let things end like this, okay? This trip is going to make things all better, and I will have the smiling Mai back."

Her words brought on more tears, but they were no longer from the pain, but the happiness that I had her and the rest of the group by my side.

"Thank you, Mikoto. I won't forget that."

******

"About time," Haruka muttered as soon as I stepped foot out of the door. "Did you completely forget about this trip? You know, the one we're doing for you?"

"Leave Mai alone!" Mikoto defended immediately.

"At least she got sleep," Midori said with a smile. "You were really starting to freak me out with those dark rings around your eyes. It looked like you had been punched out or something."

"Great," I muttered sarcastically, remembering all of the whispers around me as I passed people in the halls. Tate's face came to mind and I realised that it probably didn't help him open up to me more when I looked like a racoon.

My bag was added to the giant suitcase Midori was stuffing with all of the luggage. She threw it on top neatly and started to drag it along, singing a tune as she went. We rarely heard her sing, so we assumed she was in quiet a good mood. Naturally my own joy in singing became too much to wrestle down, and I joined the song with the teacher.

Behind me, Nao was stifling a laugh. "I think they've lost it," she muttered.

Natsuki shrugged. "I like putting up with Mai singing better than seeing her struggling with who-only-knows-what."

"Hmm… wait, what is actually bothering her anyway?" Nao asked. Clearly her expected lack of care had resulted in a lack of knowledge about the problem.

Natsuki sighed. "I'll fill you in later. For now, leave it. She hasn't looked this happy in days."

We left the school halls, staring in the classrooms at all of the students who were stuck into their studies. Their heads were bowed down over their books as they struggled to remember the information that leapt out at them. I found it hard not to smile when I realised that for three days or so I would not have to face such boring lectures and fall sleep in my work books. The next days were looking bright indeed, and for many reasons. I would be avoiding this continuous work, I would be with my friends, I could finally escape these walls that were becoming like a cage, and most importantly, I would be able to take control of my troubled mind and let my ideas of the future form normally without the traumatic memories.

As we stepped out into the school grounds I realised how beautiful the world looked. The grass had an emerald as it swayed in the warm spring breeze. There was a soothing feel to nature's relaxed state and as I looked to the clouds I saw that the bright blue skies peeked through the soft balls of fluff as though to greet us.

Excitement coursed through Mikoto as she raced out towards the trees, rolling through the grass and laughing. This filled me with a stronger hope and I ran after her, eager to reach the forest and begin the adventure.

Midori smiled after me and Mikoto with pride. "Well those two are certainly off to a good start."

"They're both as wild as each other," Nao remarked, her arms crossed over her chest as though she were bored already.

Yukino looked like she was on the edge of chasing after us as well. She looked longingly after the trail we had blazed through the grass. Haruka sighed. "Go after them, Yukino. I won't think any less of you."

Yukino beamed thankfully at her friend, then raced off across the fields, shouting for us to wait up for her. It was a beautiful moment. We were all keen to escape the work that lied behind the walls behind us, so this opportunity would benefit us all. That made me feel even better.

Once we reached the outed shadow of the trees we stopped to wait for the others. I was doubled over to catch my breath as my tired body yearned for a break, but Yukino and Mikoto were still buzzing with energy. They stared through the thick rows of trees and noted how it looked to go on forever.

"This is going to be a long trip, huh?" Mikoto said as she leaned against one of the tree trunks. "That's good though, right? More time together!"

I nodded. "Yep, that's right. We need to treasure times like this, because it won't be likely for something like this to happen for a while."

"That's why you have to get better!" Mikoto almost ordered, but she looked hopeful for me.

I tried to smile, but it was hard. "Yeah," I muttered simply. "I will, Mikoto, don't worry."

Once the others had caught up, we stood facing the trees for sometime, thinking about whether or not we were sure about this. I found myself looking back at the school yards, trying to see if Tate was there. How I wished he had decided to come along, even if it meant putting up with Shiho hounding over me for him. I could picture his smiling face in my mind, but I realised it was an old memory. He had not been smiling for a long time when he was with me, and despite the enthusiasm I felt about the trip that lay before me, I felt worry flood me like a river gushing through a broken bridge.

"If any of you want to back out now, say so this minute, because once we're in there we're only going forward until we reach our agreed point." Midori was already the strong leader.

Everyone glanced at each other as though expecting at least one to pull out, but no one said a word. Haruka and Midori shared the same burning determination in their eyes. Even though this was all for my sake, it was a challenge for them, and they faced their challenges head on. Nao, as expected, still looked bored, but she was always hiding her emotions. Natsuki had her head bowed as she thought deeply, probably about Shizuru whom she was leaving behind. Yukino and Mikoto were both over the moon and ready to go. Then there was me, wondering what was going to happen to us in these woods. I would furiously firm on being cured by this trip, so there was no backing out. They were all here to help me, so they were counting on me to try my hardest to find my inner resolve.

As Midori stared around at every face and saw that they were all ready to face the coming days, she slammed her fist into her palm. "Alright! Let's get going then!"

******

Entering the forest felt quiet nostalgic. I longed to look back at the school again, one more time, and know that inside those walls was my love. Did he know that I was leaving now? Was he expecting me to tell him? Would he be waiting for me to come back? As though expecting to see him, I turned my head back to see the academy one last time, but leaves covered my view as we passed through the first of the enshrouding trees.

A warming hand clasped my shoulder gently. "Don't worry, He'll be waiting outside for you, I'm sure of it."

I smiled up at Midori, thankful for her comforting words. "That's the only thing holding me back right now," I explained.

She gave my shoulder a little squeeze. "Don't let it worry you. Just think, when you leave here and meet up with him again, you'll be an all new Mai, and I'm sure he'll be thrilled."

This made me feel a lot better, and I gave her a little hug. It caught her off guard, but I felt her arms tighten around me as I let my emotions pour out of me in that embrace.

"Come on lovebirds. We have a quiet a way to go before the first checkpoint," Nao teased as she walked past us with a triumphant smile on her face.

Midori pushed me away quickly and raised a fist at the girl. "Say it again!"

Nao waved a hand lazily behind her. "Nah. Maybe later. I'm already getting tired."

Midori ran after her through the trees and the pair were lost in sight.

Immediately and naturally, I panicked. "Wait! You don't know what's out there!"

"Let them go and be children." Natsuki had crept up beside me silently. "We'll catch up with them shortly. I don't think Nao has a hope in hell of outrunning Midori."

That was true, and I began to relax. I was getting tense already, and if I wasn't careful I would end up giving myself a panic attack. To calm down, I let myself focus on our surroundings. I had not often come to this part of the school grounds as I had never had much of a reason apart from looking for Mikoto when she ran in here. She had come to these woods many times. She seemed to be fine with the idea of becoming lost amongst the towering trees, but it made me feel touched in. I let out a little groan and tried to picture the beauty.

The sky above was a beautiful blue, as the weather had predicted. Bordering the blue mass that I could see were the thick leaves blooming from the trees. Small balls of colour were amongst the vivid green, some sort of berry I realised as I approached one of the nearest trees. We were not squeezed in between the trees like I knew we would be soon, so it seemed very spacey and easy to breathe. The grass blew over my shoes and I kicked at it almost playfully. The wind was picking up, but it sent a warm breeze over us and brought everything to life. The leaves rustled like music and the trees swayed in dance whilst the grass was the audience, seeming to bow down to the symphony of sound.

I smiled as my heart calmed with the forest music, and I passed through with the rest of the group. Mikoto was leaping up and down on the spot like a cat, always settling on her hands and feet. She really was a wild child, and before I could even think about stopping her she let her instincts take over and rushed out into the trees.

"Hmph, does she live here or something?" Haruka asked.

I turned to her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she seems homesick or something, rushing around." Clearly, but for a reason I did not know, Haruka was very displeased by the behaviour.

"Well I'm not sure how often she comes here, but I guess it's the sort of place where she can finally let out her inner self."

"Her inner self," Haruka echoed. "What is that, an animal?"

I let the insult roll past. Haruka had never really gotten along with my little friend, so her sharp words were expected. Natsuki, however, did not seem pleased.

"Haruka, if you're going to be like this the entire time, than we really don't need you here." She looked apologetically at Yukino, giving her a tiny smile for a sorry, but Haruka crossed her arms and changed her attitude almost immediately.

"Alright, I'll stop. But don't expect me to get along with any of you any more than I do."

Natsuki sighed. "Now that would be too much to ask for," she admitted.

I couldn't help but laugh. It looked like the friendships were already off to a terrible start, but I didn't react badly. I couldn't let those bad thoughts grip me, so instead I belted out a heart laugh and strode towards the trees with my head held high. If this adventure was starting now, I was going to make it a good beginning, because things were only going to get herder from here.

Natsuki stared at me as I disappeared through the trees. It struck her as an odd change that I was laughing out loud like that, but she knew that I was hiding myself inside as she used to. It was such a dramatic effort though that she laughed when I was out of earshot.

"She's lost it," Haruka muttered. "I thought Midori would be the first one to go."

"Give her a break, Haruka," Yukino said as she followed in my footsteps towards the trees. "She's putting in the effort to smile and concentrate on the positives of this trip. I think we should be congratulating her."

Natsuki nodded and followed after Yukino, saying back to Haruka, "She's right. Even though you aren't really fond of Mai either, wouldn't you rather see her beaming like this instead of crying in a corner?"

Haruka crossed her arms across her chest. "Well, sooks do annoy me… so I guess so."

"Then let's go and make this trip as bright as we can for her," Natsuki said. She stopped before the trees and waited for Haruka to catch up, adding, "I think you'll also benefit out of this."

Haruka laughed in her face. "What more do I need to work on to be perfect?" she asked, flipping her hair back so gloriously it was almost fake.

Natsuki sighed and shook her head. "Cockiness, for one, and secondly," she added quickly before Haruka could retaliate, "I think you need to work harder on making friends besides Yukino."

This surprised the over confident girl. "Why can't I just have Yukino?"

Natsuki shook her head again and turned her back on Haruka as she spoke. "Because she won't be able to help you with everything. Especially out here." Once this was said she walked into he trees to give Haruka some time to think. The decision was up to her, after all.

Haruka pressed a finger to her chin and stared into the trees as her train of thought wondered into the words Natsuki had spoken. Maybe it would be better to have more friends, but these people weren't the sort she would get along with. They were much les intelligent than she was, and they never seemed to take things seriously enough. But now she was worried about what they would do if something happened to her during this trip. Would they do anything.

"Maybe it's a matter of taking the good with the bad," she thought, exhaling deeply and slapping a hand to her forehead. "Damn this is going to be a long three days."


	5. Mysterious Confusion

**Chapter Five - Mysterious Confusion**

As I let my hands drift through the leaves, I could feel their fragility in the world. Some fell as my fingers came into the lightest contact with them, but others were strong. I stared down at the crumpled dead leaves on the ground and realised that nature was a test of strength. Some of these leaves were weak from age or constant factors in the wild, and they would all die long before the younger, sturdier foliage.

I found this an interesting concept and realised that life was like this with everyone. The weak minded fell into depression and madness where the confident and positive rose above. I realised that at the moment I was one of the weak, and if I did not take every opportunity I could in these next few days, I would fall despite everything.

I let out a shuddered breath. It was frightening to think about it, and without giving any thought to my actions I pulled myself roughly through another clump of thick branches to find myself in the burning sunlight. I closed my eyes and opened them slowly to let them adjust to the suns rays, and when I could see again I gasped in surprise at the world I had revealed.

The first clearing stretched out lazily before me. The ground was thick with grass that was constantly driven by the sighing wind. It would lay the grass out flat, then drag it back in, before releasing it once again. Behind the grass was a think line of foot deep water that ran lightly into a round end where it gathered. Surrounding the area were more of the trees, but they grew thicker. It was like a dark green fortress, impenetrable and prefect for keeping people out.

In the centre of the small clearing, Midori and Nao were rolling over the grass, grasping each other and throwing light punches. They were play-fighting, I realised, as they laughed and teased each other without dealing any major damage. It seemed they were both children at heart. Mikoto was getting herself a drink at the gathering end of the lake. She dipped her hands into the cool, clear water and brought out great mouthfuls that she sucked down gratefully.

A smile spread across my face without even having to be forced. I stepped into the long grass and it tickled my forelegs, reaching out for my knees. I kicked at it playfully and looked up to see Midori waving me over.

"Come and get your payback, Mai! I'll hold her down for you!"

Nao grasped at Midori's shirt sleeve as the teacher pushed her down into the ground, her hands resting heavily on her shoulders.

I couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous position. "No thanks," I called out, turning down the offer. "I'll leave her to you, Midori."

Behind me, the others emerged from the trees. Yukino was out of breath after chasing after me and almost collapsed at my feet. Luckily she had Haruka to keep her standing. Their eyes swept over the clearing, and they widened with amazement. Yukino gave a sigh of relief when she sighted the water and she began ambling over to cure her thirst.

"This place is pretty nice," Natsuki stated as she stood beside me. "Is this on the list of stops?"

I shook my head. "No, but it is nice to run into a place like this in the first hour, although we will probably be needing it later on more than we need it now."

"We don't need it at all!" Haruka shouted as she headed over to Yukino whom was lapping up great mouthfuls of water. "Let's get going already or it'll be late by the time we reach the first stop!"

Midori raised her head from the headlock Nao had her trapped in. "Relax Haruka!" she managed to cry out as she struggled. "I know a shortcut."

"Oh no," Nao gasped, letting down her guard. Midori took the advantage and struck her in the stomach, then pinned her to the ground.

"What's that meant to mean?" she asked the terrified Nao.

I pressed a finger to my temple nervously. "Well, no offence, Midori, but your sort of shortcuts are… well…"

"Suicidal," Natsuki finished for me perfectly.

"Exactly!" Nao agreed as she pushed herself off of the ground and tackled Midori into the soft soil. "So don't even think about it!"

Midori shook her head in disbelief, barely even effected by the crushing weight of Nao as she sat upon her stomach to keep her down. "I can't believe that's what you think of my shortcuts!"

As Midori struggled to understand what we thought of her idea, and Nao, whom refused to give in, I listened to the music of nature that I had discovered. Concentrating on the sounds made it easy to pick out one that didn't belong, so when I heard the sound of leaves rustling despite the wind remaining at it's pace, my instincts took hold and I spun around to face the source.

In the longer patches of grass that grew near the bordering trees was a shadow. It disturbed the leaves again as it took a step forward, and then it seemed to hesitate when it saw me staring at it. I didn't let myself blink or look away even the slightest. I kept the shadow in my sights, trying to understand the shape. What sort of animal was it? It resembled a bear more than any other I could list, and I took a startled step back.

"Mai? What's wrong?"

I turned to Natsuki and pointed towards the shadow, unable to speak. My blood was ice and my heart was beating too fast for me to keep my breathing settled.

"I don't see anything… Are you sure you're okay?"

I turned and pointed again, but froze with my hand midway in the air. There was no shadow there. At least, not anymore. I was sure of what I had seen and refused to deny it, but how had it escaped so fast without a sound?

"Maybe we should rest for a few more minutes," she suggested, leading me over to a soft patch of grass, and I couldn't bring myself to refuse. I rested down into the grass and became engrossed in the thoughts of what I had seen. Were we in danger already? Did bears follow their prey when they spotted them? I shivered despite the warmth.

Finally the battle between Midori and Nao ended. They released each and rolled onto their backs, gasping for air.

"Guess you're… giving up… huh?" Nao managed to sputter out as she struggled to regain her breath.

Midori shook her head, already feeling fit again. "Nah, you look like you need a break. I'll get you later."

Things were starting to settle down, it seemed, however I could not keep my eyes away from the trees. The only thing that brought me back to my senses of the rest of the world around me was Mikoto as she let out a great cry of joy.

"This water tastes so great!" she roared, dunking her hands into it and scooping out great mouthfuls.

Haruka stared at her. "It's just water, geez," she muttered unkindly, turning away in disgust.

Mikoto was confused at her behaviour and ambled to her side. "Haruka, what's wrong? Why are you so mad?"

Haruka sighed and shrunk her shoulders. "What would you know? You don't have the pressures that I have! I have a million things to think about and worry about and I have to remember all of it!"

Everyone turned to her as she started to lose it. She was going on a rampage, jumping to her feet and kicking long blades of grass around as she furiously bent her fingers back as she listed off each item she always had on her mind.

"I always have to keep an eye on all of the students! Why can't anyone take care of themselves? Then there comes to all of the planning, balancing, and making sure that nothing gets destroyed! And don't get me started on that Shizuru!"

Natsuki clenched her fists at her sides at this remark. No one but me seemed to realise, and I took a subconscious step towards her to stand at her side just incase she launched herself at the emotional strung Haruka.

The council will be the death of me, I swear it!" she howled. "What's going to happen to the school while I'm gone? What if it catches fire? What if the students start to kill each other? I should head back! I need to get back there!"

Yukino looked crushed and took a step in front of Haruka to stop her. "Please, it's only been an hour or so! Please, please, stay and concentrate on something else! The school isn't your responsibility at the moment!"

Haruka was not hearing any of this. She was panicking to a point no one had ever seen her panic before. She was shaking and trying to fan herself as she went bright red. "No, no, I have to get back there! I can hear it now! The school is suffering!"

We all tried to calm her down at this point. Even Natsuki had put the Shizuru insult behind her and was telling Haruka to take deep breaths. In the end, it was Mikoto whom grasped her by the arms and kicked her feet out from under her.

Haruka was caught off guard. "Mikoto? What the hell are you-"

Mikoto jabber her fingers into he girl's shoulders directly beside the veins of her neck that stuck out like thick cords. As soon as her fingertips hit the flesh, a look of lazy content passed over Haruka's face. She seemed to melt back into Mikoto's lap as the wild girl messaged her shoulders with deep intensity.

We all watched, shocked at first, then we started to laugh. Haruka was half asleep as she muttered things that didn't make sense at all. She was completely in Mikoto's control, something that we never thought we would ever see.

As the message wore on, Haruka seemed to lose herself more and more. No longer was she shouting in a rage. Instead, she was having trouble keeping her eyes open as her shoulders were soothed beneath Mikoto's clever hands.

Once the unexpected service was finished, Mikoto pushed the girl up into a sitting position.

Yukino bent down in front of her friend. "Haruka? Are you… in there?" She was not entirely sure how to ask.

Haruka gave a slurred, "Huh?" before her eyes glazed over again and she fell back into Mikoto's waiting arms, muttering and whispering.

"What did you do to her?" Midori asked. "It looks like she's been hit on the head really, _really _hard. I've never seen her like this before."

Mikoto laughed. "Che Chi Cha," she sang happily. "It's a message I learnt from my brother when I was little. It helped me sleep."

Somehow I doubted that the name was genuine, nor the actual message.

Natsuki looked less than pleased as she stared down at the 'barely there' form of Haruka. "No offence to your skills, Mikoto, but we don't have time for her to be asleep."

Yukino sighed and bent down before Haruka. "Don't worry, I'll take care of her. She needs her rest, after all, so I'd hate to pull her out of this." With surprising strength, she gathered the girl up and flipped her over her shoulder.

From beneath the mop of hair that covered her face, we could all hear Haruka mutter the jumbled words, "Tanthk oou Mirotoko."

Yukino paused to translate. "She's saying 'thank you Mikoto' I think."

I almost laughed out loud at the ability she had of speaking in for Haruka was amazing. "How do you know what she's saying?" I asked.

Yukino shrugged and wore a shy smile on her face. "Well I have had a lot of practise."

That was true. Being Haruka's 'secretary' would teach skills like that, and in situations like this, no mater how unlikely they were, they definitely came in handy.

Midori took the lead of the ground and gave a heavy sigh. "Alright, we're off to an odd start," she pointed out, her eyes gleaming as she looked to the bumbling Haruka. "We have to get going though. Down this path is the shortcut I was talking about, so let's get going." She paused before adding to Mikoto, "I hope she won't be like this for long."

Mikoto shook her head. "Tonight she should come out of it… or next week."

That was the best answer we could get, so we started down the rocky track and weer forced to listen as Haruka tried to sing in her current state.

It was not an experience to remember.


	6. Heatwaves

**Chapter Six - Heatwaves**

The weather was heating up. There was no other way to put it. No longer was it mildly warm, allowing us the comfort to run through the fields we passed thought with out long sleeves shirts and pants. Now we were trying to be as still as possible with only our vests on.

The sun blared through the trees and burnt at our skin. It was bright enough to light up the entire sky and turn the leaves to a golden glare as we looked up at the trees to see if there were any rain clouds approaching at all. Unfortunately it was a cloudless sky, and the sun had taken it all as it's domain.

"That's it!" Midori suddenly cried out, letting her pack drop to the ground. She shook her hair back, then lifted her arms and pulled her vest off right in front of us all. Our eyes almost bulged out in surprise, and instinctively I leaped at her and tried to wrestle her vest back over her.

"Hey! Take it easy, Mai!" she growled. "I have underwear on!"

"You must have heatstroke!" I cried. "Does anyone have a towel or something that we can dampen?"

"Mai, I'm fine!"

Midori pushed me away and we both stood, panting heavily and sweating as our hearts pounded. With a sigh she threw the vest over her shoulders, but kept it undone.

"There? Happy now?" she asked.

I sighed. "Well, it's better than nothing I guess. Just consider yourself lucky that were all girls."

She laughed at this. "Yeah, whatever. Look, we need to find a cool spot ASAP. A lake would be really good by now."

We all turned to Yukino as she checked her map. Her eyes scanned it furiously until she stabbed a finger down with a yelp of success, leaving a tiny hole. "There's one a little way ahead, but it'll be a bit of a walk until we make it there."

"Hmm… maybe this shortcut was a good idea," Natsuki pointed out, smiling gratefully at Midori whom beamed with pride.

Nao grumbled something that was no doubt against the path we had taken, but we were getting into the habit of ignoring her now. She was definitely turning out to be the grouch of the group.

I was thrilled about the lake. I was dying for somewhere to cool off and wash this sticky heat away. It seemed that my companions were as well, as they had been pouring water down their backs with the arsenal of bottles we had packed.

Mikoto turned to me and I smiled back at her, but she was not looking forward to the break like the others. She leapt at me and clutched my hand with tears in her eyes.

"Mikoto, what's… oh yeah."

"What's 'er problemen?" Haruka asked, her eyes crossed a little as she glowered at Mikoto. It seemed she had still not recovered entirely, but she was getting better.

"She's afraid of water," I explained. "Ever since… well…" I realised then that I had not told them about the fact that mine and Mikoto's meeting was through her drowning. Knowing first aid, I had managed to resuscitate her, but this knowledge was mine and Mikoto's alone. Natsuki knew a little, but as Mikoto learnt about kissing between lovers, she never let me mention the mouth-to-mouth I had given her.

"What's the problem?" Nao asked impatiently. "Did something happen?"

I turned to Mikoto, my silence asking her for permission, but she shook her head.

I hesitated as I turned to the others. "Sorry. Maybe later. Let's just say that she had a traumatising event when she was swimming once."

We all left it at that and decided that we would still go to the lake after Haruka's desperate pleading. Mikoto would sit out and chase bugs or whatever of her activities she felt like doing whilst we enjoyed the cool. She seemed to like this idea.

"Will there be lots of fish in the shallow end?" she asked keenly.

"Probably, why?" I asked, eyeing her curiously.

She didn't say. Only this time she was suddenly excited and already taking off towards the lake.

*****

"Yukino, get rid of these bugs!"

"Yes, Haruka."

"Why is it so hot, Yukino? I thought you said the weather would be fine?"

"I'm sorry, Haruka. I must have read the wrong forecast."

"How much longer until we reach the lake? I'm boiling in these clothes!"

"Not long, Haruka. Just over this hill."

"Good… Yukino?"

"Yes, Haruka?"

"There's another fly buzzing around my head."

Yukino sighed. "I'll get it for you, Haruka."

Haruka had gained her normal sanity again, but now she was back to normal. We were all sick of her complaining as we trudged through the heat, our heads bent low as she tried to avoid looking at the sun. Yukino had been right, it was quiet a walk, but we could almost feel the cool water already as we approached the hill.

"There… we made it…" I gasped as I crawled myself to the very top of the hill like a toddler learning to walk for the first time.

The hill sloped down sharply to the great lake of water. It was a beautiful sight, and I don't mean just to the melting girls whom would find a drip of water a gorgeous thing. The lake looked so serene. It was bordered by lilies that sprouted great pink flowers, and the water looked so clear we could see the logs and branches stretching along the bottom. Around the lake was a forest of trees thinned out enough to curtain the scene.

"Holy crap," Midori muttered as she stood beside me, looking barely even worn out anymore. I swear, she went to some sort of military camp or something. Her survival level was unbelievable.

Nao agreed with her statement, her eyes lighting up with a happiness I had never seen before. As though she were in a trance, she started down the hill with her hands out in front of her, reaching for the lake.

"Heatstroke?" I asked Midori.

She shrugged. "That or stupidity.

Natsuki took a stand beside me and stared down at my suffering form. "As soon as we camp tonight you should go straight to bed. You look exhausted," she pointed out.

I struggled to my feet. "I think this'll revive me well enough," I said, eying the water below us hungrily.

"Well, do you think you have enough energy left to race me then?" the cold hearted beauty asked me, flicking her hair back as though to intimidate me.

I stared at her, wide eyed. "No way! Not to race _you_!"

"Too bad," she muttered. "Mikoto is up for it."

True enough, the wild girl was already bent on one knee with her eyes set on the lake with burning determination. It was amazing how quickly her mood could change from playful to serious.

I sighed and finally accepted the challenge. I would never let it down if I refused anyway.

Midori placed her hand in front of us, counted down, gave me a secret wink, then we were off, racing down the hill at full speed towards the lake. My feet almost flew over the ground as I lost my steps many times, but I always found the ground again safely. Mikoto was behind me, and Natsuki in front. I put more speed into my run and managed to catch up with Natsuki. She turned to me and gave me a look of surprise at my sudden burst of energy. I did not know myself where it had come from. I guess when you are low on the stuff, it goes out with a bang.

"Look out for me!" Mikoto came rushing in between us like a bullet. She was a blur in my eyes before she finally disappeared.

"What?" Natsuki gasped. She put in another spurt of speed and chased after the girl, as always desperate to win, but I had reached my limit by this point and ended the race panting and stumbling to the bottom of the hill where I collapsed into a heap.

"I'm beating you, Yukino!"  
"I can see that, Haruka!"

Haruka and Yukino ran straight past me without even stopping. I groaned and tried to help myself pitifully, but a hand took my shoulder and heaved me up.

"Easy does it," Midori muttered as she put me on my feet again. "You over did it big time."

I sighed. "It was a challenge from Natsuki. How could I not accept?"

Midori understood this as she too could not back down when it came to the cocky youth. "Come on, let's get her back," she offered, and we headed down across the soft ground to the water.

It was all mud around the lake, meaning that it was thick with the cool water. I kicked my shoes off and flung my vest to the side as I let the cool mush sink into my toes. The other girls were already stripping into their underwear and diving into the water. I made sure that Mikoto was in the shallows, chasing down the fish that she had been waiting eagerly for, before I too stepped into the lake water.

The soothing cold of the water seeped into my skin and I let out a gasp at the unexpected change from heat to cold. Beside me, Midori was almost like a fish. As soon as she slipped beneath the surface she was fine with the temperature and glided along the water's surface in a graceful swim. I stayed at the edge of the lake, Pressing my back to the rough rocky side and trying to adapt to the cold.

Nao was already on the opposite side of the lake, stretched out on her back and floating with a content smile on her face. In the centre, Natsuki and Midori were now trying to out swim each other as Midori sought vengeance for me, whilst Haruka cheered on whomever she felt was bothering her the least at that moment.

"Hey Mai, how was the run?"

I looked up to see Yukino smiling at me. She looked so adorable and innocent in her butterfly underwear that I almost cuddled her. Instead I turned away and pouted. "Well I won't have any energy to get out of this lake once we leave, that's for sure."

She laughed lightly and waded beside me, our shoulders touching gently. "That's alright, I'll help you out," she said.

We bonded quiet well, me and Yukino. After the troubles the carnival had given us, there had been a bit of an awkward wedge between us. After all, she had lost it at one point from the fear of losing Haruka and tried to kill me. But as the days went on our shattered friendship began to repair, and now we were completely fine in each other's company.

As we spoke about the journey I was taking to recover from my mental instability (to put it technically), we laughed and watched Haruka and Natsuki argue about the space that was being taken up.

"You stay on that side!" Haruka yelled, pointing.

"That sounds like an order!" Natsuki yelled back, balling up her fists.

Midori stepped into it all as an officer. "Girls, girls, enough bickering! We should be relaxing and cooling off, not taking a swipe at each other's throats!"

Of course, they just went on fighting as they always did. There was no stopping them once things got heated up.

I groaned as I watched them fighting. "Do they always have to be like this?"

Yukino giggled at the sight of them acting like children. "At least it keeps them busy. Trust me, a bored Haruka is much harder to handle than an arguing Haruka. Believe it or not, she is actually happy when she has someone to bicker with, so I think this trip will be good for her."

"Wow. So she's actually having a good time?"

"Yeah. Doesn't seem like it, huh?"

She screamed out and punched a fist into the water furiously as Natsuki still refused to move. "Not in the least," I replied.

Padded feet came up being us and we both turned to see Mikoto dragging a large fish behind her. It left a wet trail in the mud and still flipped every now and then as it begged for water.

Over the time I had spent with Mikoto I had grown used to her habits of shocking me like this. I simply stared and asked her what on earth she was doing with it.

"I'm showing what a good fisher I am," she said proudly, lifting up the fist above her head. "See how big it is Mai?"

"Yeah, I see it," I laughed.

"Oh, Mikoto, you really are a one of a kind. What are you going to do with it now, though? Set it free?" Yukino asked, staring over the tops of her glasses at the giant animal

The wild girl laughed out loud. "No! This is dinner!"

"Oh, so you know how to cook now?" I asked.

Mikoto blinked mindlessly. "Cook?"

"… Eww…" I muttered.

Another voice had joined the argument in the middle of the lake now. Nao had become sick of her silence being bothered by the pair and was giving them a piece of her mind. Haruka and Natsuki momentarily joined forces to repel her insults, and Midori just gave up. She swam back to us, shaking her head as she went.

"I swear, if those three end up trying to kill each other, I'm not sorting it out," she muttered a she pulled up to the edge beside me.

"Do you even know what they're fighting about anymore?" I asked, watching them as they reached the next level of domestic violence and began splashing each other.

"No idea," Midori muttered. "Something about breathing the same air I suppose."

"Hey Midori! Look at my big fish!"

As Midori examined Mikoto's sushi style dinner that she held like a trophy in her hands, I began to notice some differences in Haruka. For starters, she was starting to keep her voice a little lower. It wasn't that she was doing it on purpose. She just seemed to lack the energy to do it. I could tell by the redness of her face that she had a lot more to say, but she would choke on her words. Also, her hands were tight at her sides. I could see at least a metre down from the surface of the water because of the clearness, and they were shaking as she balled them up. An expression crossed her face that I had not seen in a while.

Fear.

I subconsciously took a step away from the edge of the lake towards her as though to get a closer look. She was panicking quiet a bit now. She looked away from the group to the surface of the water, and seemed unable to speak. She gave a tiny shudder, then her eyes searched out Yukino. Unfortunately her friend was not paying attention, so Haruka turned back to Natsuki and Nao and tried her best to keep on fighting. Little did she seem to know that she looked utterly terrible.

Natsuki noticed as she began to cool down. She stared at Haruka for a few seconds, then asked, "What's wrong?"

Haruka looked struck as though a secret had just been discovered. "W-what do you mean?" she asked shakily.

"You're trembling," Natsuki pointed out. "Water too cold for you?" Now she was teasing.

Haruka was about to yell, but again the words died and her eyes glazed over.

Now Nao and Natsuki were scared.

"Haruka?" Nao gasped, swimming a little closer. "You alright?"

Natsuki started to swim towards me and Midori, sensing that something was very wrong with the girl. She called out Midori's name, but she was out of the water and poking the fish with Mikoto. She called out Yukino's name this time, and as soon as the dozing girl looked up and saw Haruka I could tell that she knew exactly what was going on.

Haruka gave a final stutter of words at Nao before she sank beneath the surface.

"Haruka!" Yukino screamed.

Now Midori was paying attention. She didn't need to be told what had happened. The missing member told her exactly what she needed to know, and she dove into the water like a dolphin. Meanwhile Nao had disappeared as well. I had not even seen what had happened to her.

"Haruka!" Yukino was in hysterics. She tried to dive beneath, but Natsuki pulled her back up a moment later.

"Leave it to Midori, Yukino!" she ordered, leading the shaking girl back over to me where I cuddled her to calm her down. I would not question her about what had happened to Haruka yet. That could wait until she could at least breathe without hyperventilating. At that moment it took both me and Natsuki to hold her back against the edge of the lake to stop her from going after her friend.

"Mai, what happened?" Mikoto asked, standing behind me, her fish now discarded.

"Just wait," I said quietly, waiting for one of the three girl's to surface. This couldn't happen. Not so early in our journey. I could feel the fear seeping into my bones and became unaware of everything. My sorrows began to build again and that place I hated the most caged around me again.

"Mai!"

Natsuki's voice came like a slap and I turned to see Nao and Midori surfacing with Haruka held between them. She was limp and her head was hanging back. It did not take a genius to see that she was not conscious. I only hoped that she was breathing at the least.

Yukino let out a strangled cry and rushed at her friend, but Natsuki and I held her back and dragged her out of the water.

"Mikoto, keep her here," I commanded.

The young girl knew that something serious was going on now and clutched Yukino around the waist. "Okay Mai!"

As Midori and Nao reached the shore, both I and Natsuki helped to drag Haruka out of the water. All four of us heaved her to a patch of dried mud where we laid her down.

"What the hell happened to her?" Nao asked, showing a panicky side that we had rarely seen. She looked over to Yukino for answers, but she was staring at Haruka's face silently, tears running down her cheeks.

"Mai, you know first aid, right?" Natsuki asked, though it sounded more demanding than she realised. There was worry clouding in her eyes as well and I felt that it was my job not to disappoint the entire group at this point.

I told them all to back off and give me room. They reacted immediately and circled me and Haruka, making me feel a little more as the centre of attention. For the first time I felt it extremely nerve racking.

Haruka was not breathing, that was evident as I examined her life signs. Her heart was beating lightly, but not enough to keep her alive for much longer. I forced myself to concentrate on the task at hand and not the fact of anything else. The world around me disappeared and I bent over the council leader, memories of Mikoto rushing back to me. Trying not to think that, and also the true possibility that Haruka may come back on her own accord at any moment and slap me in the face forgetting this close to her, I opened her mouth and gave her my breath.

There was tense silence as I pulled away from her and waited to hear her breathing for herself. Of course she didn't, just as my luck would have it, and I pressed my lips to hers again, giving her what life I could.

I could hear the whispers of the others around as they waited eagerly.

"I can't believe this," Midori muttered.

Natsuki seemed to be comforting Yukino. "She'll be okay. You know more than all of us how strong she is."

"Hey, did her hand just move?" Nao asked quietly.

I glanced down towards her hand to see if it was true when strong hands gripped my shoulders and shoved me back roughly. I fell into Midori's waiting arms as Haruka coughed and spluttered back to life. Yukino rejoiced and threw herself into her friend's arms.

I was so shocked that I couldn't even speak. It took me a moment to realise that Midori was sitting me down on the ground and smiling at me.

"Well done," she congratulated.

For a reason I was not totally sure of, I didn't feel proud of myself at all. It was hard to be happy at a time like this, but harder for me when the feeling was becoming more alien to me as the days went by.

Yukino was still crying as she held her arms tightly around Haruka, sobbing out, "Don't you ever do that again!"

Haruka sighed and hugged her friend back, her smile weak as her body cried out for sleep.

I leaned over and tried to pull Yukino back a little. "Easy. She needs a lot of rest. Be gentle with her," I explained, patting her on the back a little as a source of comfort.

"Looks like you could do with some rest as well, Mai. Looks like that took everything out of you," Nao pointed out as she approached. To my surprise, she offered her hand to help me up. She looked as serious as ever, but I noticed a tiny suspicious smile appearing on her face as she realised my shock.

Nevertheless, I took her hand and she pulled me up to my feet. I swayed on the spot as soon as I was standing for stars were circling my head. My heart beat at a level of speed it had never reached before and I collapsed into Nao's arms. I expected her to push me away as her instinct often demanded, but instead she held onto me and demanded Natsuki's help.

With the pair of them hoisting me up by the arms and Haruka clearly out of it for the night, Midori decided that it would be best to set up camp here. It had not been a day full of progression, but we had definitely had enough experiences to bring it to a dramatic finish.

I could not remember when I had fallen asleep, but the next thing I knew I was waking up with a jacket that did not belong to me covering me up to the shoulders. I shuddered in the suddenly cool wind and turned my head to see a burning fire some metres away. There sat Natsuki, Midori, Mikoto, and Nao. They all turned to me as I groaned and pulled myself up.

"Hey, Mai! I could use my jacket now that you're awake!" Midori called, waving her arm in the air.

It was night-time now. The stars glittered in the velvet sky and the moon was so bright that I had to squint to see it well enough. It lit up the lake beautifully, making to seem almost magical. I stared at it for some time before Midori called to me again and I stumbled over weakly to drop the jacket into her lap.

"You're looking a little better," Natsuki said as she handed me a plate of, can you believe it, fish.

I looked to Mikoto to make sure it was okay for me to be eating her meal, and she gave me a nod. "It's okay. I already ate my piece."

"Yeah, raw," Nao explained, shooting her a look of disgust.

To save my stomach, I tried not to think about it.

My mind was reeling as I tried to remember what had happened. The events that had taken place whirled past in such a mix that I couldn't tell them apart. There was the lake, that was obvious seeing as it was right next to us, but something had happened. Mikoto had caught a fish. Maybe that was it? No. There was a sickening put in my stomach, and it only grew deeper as I realised that neither Yukino nor Haruka were dining with us at the fire.

I turned around to find that during my unconsciousness the group had set up a rough camp. Three tents had been pitches already. Two were small, and the larger one would house three people. Around them were other packs that had been discarded. A light burned outside of the largest tent, bathing them all with light as to lead us there when the fire was out, and I could se a brighter light coming from inside one of the smaller tents. Yukino and Haruka resided inside, I assumed. But why? What had happened?

I turned to find the others watching me anxiously.

"You really should eat," Midori said, pushing the plate of food in my hands closer to me. "Trust me, it'll do you good. Mikoto already told us that you haven't been eating a lot due to your… emotional state."

"She's right," Nao agreed, and I felt this was not the first time she had surprised me that night. I stared at her curiously and she seemed almost to sink back to avoid my gaze.

Natsuki seemed to understand my thoughts. "Yeah, she's changed incase you're wondering," she said, beginning to laugh. "Turns out she's not such an ogre after all!"

"Hey!" Nao growled. "Just cause I did a couple of nice things doesn't make me a pansy or anything!"

"She didn't say you were a pansy," Midori pointed out, picking her teeth lazily with her nails to scrape out the fish.

Nao pouted. "Sure sounded like it," she muttered.

Now my head felt as though it would explode trying to work things out. "Okay, what happened?" I asked worriedly. "I can hardly remember anything!"

Apparently it was no surprise to them. Midori explained that it was an overload of emotion that caused me to pass out, not just from a lack of energy.

Once the logical reason for my short amnesia was clear, Midori continued with the explanation.

"You remember the heat, right, and finding this lake?" That much I did remember, but the rest was a blur… apart from Mikoto's fish. "Ooookay, that's… interesting…"

Mikoto was in hysterics on the ground, clearly over the moon that I remembered her catch.

Nao gave a great sigh. "You're too slow, Midori!" she growled, taking over. "After we found the lake you and Yukino were at the side… I don't know why. There wasn't anything wrong with the water." I couldn't explain, so she went on. "Anyway, I was arguing with Haruka and Natsuki (she glared at the dark haired youth at her side) when Haruka started having heart troubles. She passed out and-"

"And Nao dove in to save her!" Natsuki cried out, laughing as Nao blushed and turned away with a scowl on her face.

Midori smiled at the so called 'ogre'. "We're really proud of you Nao. Diving straight after her was heroic."

"Well I couldn't just leave her like that," Nao muttered. "I'm not a sick, twisted weirdo."

"Well you were very brave," Midori pressed, trying to set her off a little this time.

I turned towards the tent as a part of the story lingered in my mind. "She has heart problems?"

"Yeah, Yukino told us afterwards," Mikoto explained as she crawled over to me and rested her head on my knee like a cat. "I wonder if it's painful."

"Hmm… she's not having a lot of luck, is she?" I said sadly. "Maybe it's not such a good idea she came."

"She's alright," Natsuki said. "Only maybe you should avoid her for a little while." Suddenly she couldn't look me in the eye.

I realised that there was a part of the story missing then. "What do you mean? What happened after she fainted?"

Midori tried not to laugh and wrapped things up. "Well, I would have given her CPR, but you kinda took over and gave her mouth to mouth. She started to come round during the process, and, well, after she coughed up, and you fainted-"

"Right into me, might I add," Nao grumbled.

"Yeah, well, she went a little nuts, yelling things like 'a girl kissed me!" and such." Midori couldn't look at me at all now, but I didn't blame her.

"She's over reacting," Natsuki said to try and cheer me up as I lowered my head. "You were saving her life. She should be grateful!"

"Don't worry about it," I muttered, looking down at Mikoto whom was suddenly just as quiet as I was. This trip was turning out to be horrible. Not only was Haruka growing colder to everyone and the weather was turning against us, but I was seeing shadows in the trees, we were all arguing with each other, and one of us had almost died. How was this supposed to cure me?

All eyes were on me now, and I was not in the mood for it. I pulled myself to my feet and headed of towards one of the smaller tents, mumbling behind me, "I'm going to bed."

I felt their eyes on my back as they all watched me go.

"Is Mai going to be okay?" Mikoto asked as she wondered whether to go after me or not.

"She'll be fine," Midori convinced the girl. Her eyes kept on me even as I disappeared into the tent. "She just needs a bit of a cheering up session I think."

Little did I know that the girls outside at the camp fire were about to take Midori seriously for once.

Very seriously


End file.
